"The
cure invariably proceeds through the darkness and chaos
of the crises to the light and beauty of perfect health,
periods of marked improvement alternating with acute
eliminating activity, until perfect regeneration has
taken place." &endash; Henry Lindlahr,
M.D.

There
is a belief among many health practitioners working with
natural therapies that a person who is in the process of
getting well may undergo some sort of a "healing reaction"
in order to fully heal.
The "healing crisis," as it is known, occurs at a point when
the body's self-healing mechanism has begun to "retrace" its
own history of illness in order to completely heal and rid
itself of the accumulated residues of
disease.

A
person who has experienced any form of lengthy illness,
whether it is a long-term back disability or an ulcer, can
attest to the fact that there is a loss of energy associated
with the illness. Lack of energy always accompanies chronic
health con-ditions, and it is this "lowered vitality" that
blocks the self-healing process. The body is stuck in a rut,
so to speak, and is unable to garner its restorative forces.

Henry
Lindlahr, MD., in his book "The Practice of Nature Cure,"
states the following:

"Chronic
disease is a condition of the organism in which lowered
vitality, due to the accumulation of waste matter and
poisons, with the consequent destruction of vital parts
and organs, has progressed to such an extent that
Nature's constructive and healing forces
areno
longer able to react against the disease conditions by
corrective efforts."

The
inability of the body-mind to self-heal may be expressed in
these simple terms: health is a balance between inhalation
and exhalation. In other words, we must be able to inhale
good nutrition in the forms of good air, water, food and
constructive emotions and we must be able to exhale physical
and mental toxins. When this cycle is interrupted we develop
"accumulations" which lower our vitality.

Natural
therapies can open the circulation, restore the nerve
supply, and improve the nutrition, allowing a person's
well-being and self-healing ability to slowly increase.

Constantine
Hering, MD., the well-known American homeopath, formulated
what is called Hering's Law of Cure which states that
"disease is healed from inside out, from the head down, and
in the reverse order that it appeared." Healing occurs in
the body at the deepest level first, then surfaces by moving
from the head to the toes. The patient's most recent illness
is the one that heals first, after which previous illnesses
are "retraced" back to the oldest (historically).

As
the patient begins to heal, he/she frequently experiences
what are called "aggravations" which are flare-ups of
present or past illnesses.
These flare-ups are due to increased blood and nerve supply
to blocked areas of the body, and after the aggravation, the
patient always feels better.

Daniel
David Palmer, D.C., founder of chiropractic, also referred
to the flow of the healing process as "above, down, and
inside to outside." This universal law of health, by its
very existence, indicates that the
body has its own priorities in getting well and, in fact,
knows what to do better than we do.
The Vital Force will direct its own healing if we supply
what it needs. Dr. Bernard Jensen, D.C., Ph.d., in his book
"The Doctor Patient Handbook," acknowledges the awesome
potential inside all of us when he states:

"The
body could manifest no greater proof of its ability to be
self-adjusting, self-regenerating, and self-healing than
it does through the retracing of disease and the
production of the healing crisis."

What
happens in a healing crisis?
The increased nerve and blood supply along with improved
nutrition stimulates a detoxification process. The healing
crisis is a profound discharge of toxins from the body and
the mind. One may feel increased pain or exhaustion,
muscular stiffness or achiness, symptoms of the flu, mild
dizziness, headaches, skin eruptions, diarrhea, or mental
irritability. Crises often come when the patient is feeling
better, and can last from one to three days. It should be
mentioned that healing reactions vary from person to person
and may be mild or strong.

Healing
crises are very welcome signs when we get them.
They will help the body build a solid health profile over
the longhaul. We can rest assured that the Inner Healer in
all of us will not produce a discharge physically or
emotionally unless it is in our best interest. Retracing and
healing reactions are signs of internal improvement, and the
body-mind will repair what is most important first.

Real
healing methods seek to harmonize the being by natural means
and then allow the Inner Intelligence to direct the healing.
Dr. Bernard Jensen, D.C., concurs when he observes:

"The
intelligence within the patient's own body knows more
about tissue structure repair and regeneration than any
doctor could possibly know." Our job as facilitators and
patients is to supply what the body needs to promote
self-healing, and then let the innate forces of nature go
to work.

DISCLAIMER:
This newsletter is intended to provide health information to improve quality of life and assist users to better understand their health and arrange more easily for healthcare services. It is not an attempt to replace the need to seek healthcare services nor to provide specific healthcare advice. Information provided should not be used to diagnose or dispute a qualified healthcare professional's judgement. If you have any questions, please give our office a call or check with your local healthcare professional.